Many user interfaces allow users to review or enter data on a number of different panels. In the more flexible systems, the user may navigate back and forth between panels at will to review, edit and enter data without having to proceed in a predetermined order. As the user is entering data, some systems verify the consistency of data that the user has entered. Such data evaluation may prompt one or more messages to be displayed, informing the user that the entered data is in error or that it has been accepted, for example. When messages relating to entered data are displayed, it may be useful to provide a link that takes the user back to an earlier panel where the data was entered.
There may, however, be more than one path in the user interface for getting to the earlier panel. In addition, the earlier panel may have content that depends on the particular path taken, so that its appearance differs if one or the other path is used. For example, the earlier panel may have tool bars, tab sets, icon strips, portal features, or other content that is tied to the path taken to reach the panel. Accordingly, the decision which path to take may matter to the user if it affects the appearance of the earlier panel.
Moreover, it may be undesirable to always use the “original” path; that is, the path that the user initially took to the earlier panel. First, if the user navigates through a number of panels after entering the data, it is possible that the content of the current panel (such as framing or toolbars) will change substantially if the “original” path is taken to the earlier panel. Second, the system may not “remember” what the original navigation path was, if this information is not stored persistently within the system.